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Live Chat with CEO Mark Lever - 2 April

Mike NAS

Hello all,

We are holding a live Q&A discussion with NAS Chief Executive Mark Lever on World Autism Awareness Day (2 April 2013). The event will take place at 5pm for one hour and to register your interest in the event, please follow this link.

The discussion will focus on how we're working to break down the myths about autism, what can be done to increase awareness and what we have planned for the year ahead. 

We are expecting a large number of questions to be submitted so please send in your questions beforehand too so we can do our best to answer as many as possible. Please post your question below; via Twitter using the hashtag #AskMarkNAS; or by posting on our Facebook wall. Alternatively, you can submit your question in real-time during the live chat discussion.

Hope you'll be able to join us.

Best wishes,
Mike, NAS 

Parents

  • ok I just want to publish the reply incase anyone else is following this.

    Mark NAS:

    Hi Paull
    The Autism Act statutory guidance puts a number of key duties on local authorities and health bodies in England. Local authorities and local NHS bodies have to follow the guidance so long as there is no good reason not to do so. Lack of resources is not a good reason not to implement the statutory guidance.

    On appointing an autism lead, the statutory guidance is very clear on this, saying “each local authority should ensure there is a joint commissioner/senior manager who has in his/her portfolio a clear commissioning responsibility for adults with autism. This is the key leadership role locally and local authorities are expected to appoint someone."

    Secondly, however, you mention establishing an autism team. Although this is mentioned as an example of good practice in the strategy and in recent NICE guidelines and although local areas are encouraged to develop such teams, there is no direct duty on local authorities to establish an autism team.

    Broadly speaking though, you are right. If a local authority is not seeking to achieve the broad aims of the strategy they could theoretically be challenged by way of an application for judicial review. Challenging the local authority through the courts in this way is quite complicated and there are other ways to ensure local implementation of the Act. We are launching a new campaign in May designed to support people at a local level to hold their local authority to account. Watch this space for how to get involved!

    Hope this helps - Mark

    thank you Mark,

    I am very happy with the reply and it clears a lot of thing up for me.

    I will be contacting my local authority again and bringing this to their attention and hopefully they will act on it.

Reply

  • ok I just want to publish the reply incase anyone else is following this.

    Mark NAS:

    Hi Paull
    The Autism Act statutory guidance puts a number of key duties on local authorities and health bodies in England. Local authorities and local NHS bodies have to follow the guidance so long as there is no good reason not to do so. Lack of resources is not a good reason not to implement the statutory guidance.

    On appointing an autism lead, the statutory guidance is very clear on this, saying “each local authority should ensure there is a joint commissioner/senior manager who has in his/her portfolio a clear commissioning responsibility for adults with autism. This is the key leadership role locally and local authorities are expected to appoint someone."

    Secondly, however, you mention establishing an autism team. Although this is mentioned as an example of good practice in the strategy and in recent NICE guidelines and although local areas are encouraged to develop such teams, there is no direct duty on local authorities to establish an autism team.

    Broadly speaking though, you are right. If a local authority is not seeking to achieve the broad aims of the strategy they could theoretically be challenged by way of an application for judicial review. Challenging the local authority through the courts in this way is quite complicated and there are other ways to ensure local implementation of the Act. We are launching a new campaign in May designed to support people at a local level to hold their local authority to account. Watch this space for how to get involved!

    Hope this helps - Mark

    thank you Mark,

    I am very happy with the reply and it clears a lot of thing up for me.

    I will be contacting my local authority again and bringing this to their attention and hopefully they will act on it.

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